In the autumn of 1649, legal proceedings were initiated against Marjorie Hoy, a resident of the parish of Pencaitland in Haddingtonshire. Her case, documented under the reference C/EGD/1659, moved through the formal judicial channels of the period, culminating in a trial recorded as T/LA/1991. The local Kirk Session and civil authorities, operating within the framework of the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563, focused their attention on Marjorie as part of the broader legal climate that characterized the mid-seventeenth century in the Lothians.
During the course of the investigation, the court secured a formal confession from Marjorie. While the specific nature of the allegations remains contained within the judicial archives, the recording of a confession was a definitive component of the trial process during this era. Following this admission, the case proceeded through the necessary legal stages, marking Marjorie’s experience as a recorded instance of the intensive judicial scrutiny applied to individuals accused of witchcraft in Pencaitland at that time.